Hello
i got a 3rd class degree this year in physics due to extenuating circmustances from a university of london...what would my options be after that??can i do masters???i am keen on earh science..do u think i have any chance of doing a master on that?

Yes you can do masters after that.

I can only talk generally about your situation assuming you're UK-based, but with a third class degree you're going to have difficulties obtaining a place on a postgraduate course anywhere at least in the short term. Two points stand out straight away.

1) Funding is going to be next to impossible to obtain.

2) The best you can probably expect is to start out at least as a post-graduate diploma student.

If you can find a post-graduate diploma course, you might be able to obtain a career development loan. This is about all you can expect as funding bodies won't normally provide stipends for people with 3rd class degrees.

My advice would be to try to enter the employment market for a few years and then use that works experience to possibly reinforce a future application. Even then, the funding issue might raise it's head.

Have you instead considered Masters via the Open University? Alternatively, could you repeat your last year to push yourself up to a 2(ii)? Note you will probably have a ceiling on your marks of 50% (i.e. bottom end of the 2(ii) band), but this plus works experience may help you in future. Raising your mark to a 2(ii) could also help with job prospects, though obtaining a job is more about how you sell yourself to an employer.

If you do manage to get onto a post-graduate diploma, you might be able to upgrade to M.Sc. provided your marks are high enough during the first half of the course. I saw this happen to one person on the Masters course I was doing.

Ian

Ian's given you some great advice. I'd also suggest Open University and working at the same time either to look at credit transfering part of your degree credits into a new degree to try get a better grade or do masters Units. Only thing to be aware of with OU is they have a much higher grade threshold i.e. 80%+ for a first! They say the markers are used to this but I'd say that's not strictly the case. Beauty of OU is paying for credits as you go monthly on an OUSB account.

Hi Ninto
The OU is certainly worth looking at - maybe by starting with a diploma and working up towards a Masters. Also you can work and study at the same time.
Angelette